Another Graf Question-PLEASE HELP

[hockeysew 0]

Im in need of help from the LHS/Skate experts-You may have seen my other post about the fit issues with 704's and 703's-I finally found the 703 narrow I was looking for and the right shop to fit them-Had them baked to my feet one time-Skated 1 stick and puck and aside from a little discomfort not too bad

I went to open skate and a stick and puck and my god these things are killing my feet now-at the stick and puck yesterday they hurt so bad that I only spent 15 minutes in them before I had to put my old Bauers on-put the Bauers on and no pain and I'm flying on the ice.

My questions

1. Is it possible that I am just not a Graf person(This is the 3rd pair Ive tried with no luck)

2. How much pain is acceptable on break in? and for how long ( All the Bauers Ive had NEVER hurt like this)

3.Why is it I can skate very well in my Bauers but not worth sh#t on the Graf's?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated-I'm really bummed because I put out chunk of change for the Grafs but none of them seem to be working-Should I go back to the Bauers

How tight do you lace & tie when breaking in???

[warrior37 0]

id give up on grafs, theyre not for you, i was told your skates should be laced firm all the way

[nate 0]

I have xxxs now but with my old grafs I never laced them up firm. I only tightened the top three eyelets and they felt fine. My friend had pain with his grafs and when he loosened the bottom part of the boot they felt great.

Where are u getting pain on your foot?

[t-bone 1]

I only tighten top 2 eyelets on my 703's. I don't tighten the foot at all. On Vectors i used to lace the foot tight and leave top loose. Pitch/rocker is very different on grafs from tucks. It was quiet a transition from ccm to grafs for me, even though those are more alike. It took about 3 skates to get comfy with new setup.

Also if your pain is isolated to a specific spot - do not hesitate to have them punched.

Pain goes away.

Good luck

[pizzakid13 5]

i also leave the foot a little looser and tighten the ankles. graf 704

love 'em.

[hockeysew 0]

<_< Thanks All

I went back to the LHS that I bought them from and explained what was happening.

They were real good at reading my foot after I wore the skates and walked around for a half hour or so. They found the pressure points and punched them a bit at the ball of my foot and ankle bone. They also trimmed the insole a little to flatten the arch.

The result: Felt MUCH better walking around a bit in them.I wont be able to skate on them for a couple days because I'm helping my neice at her tournament but I'll let yall know

More to follow...............

Thanks all-I'll back off the laces a little and try that too

[duch 0]

Personally I think the skates are too narrow for you if your in that much pain. Take them back to the LHS and exchange them for a pair of regular width Grafs in the same size before you scuff these ones up too much. Try out the regular width and see if you have the same experience. Bake these as well because you want to make a fair assessment of them. If you still have an unreasonable ;) discomfort then I guess Grafs just aren't for you. Grafs are a narrow skate to start with so there is no need to be ashamed of this. I have to wear CCM or Eastons. Can't wear Bauer, Graf or Missions because their just too narrow on the sides and in the toe areas.

Bauer makes some nice top enders like the 8000 or 8090's you might want to try a pair of them out, avoid the 7000's. (very stiff) Their middle of the line 5090's or 6000's also are very good. Because of durability problems (compared to other brands) avoid the Vapor line.

[hockeysew 0]

I ;) did try the regular 703-they seemed too wide as the ball of my foot slid side to side-after the LHS tweaked these they do feel more like my old 3000's-I guess only skating will tell though-If these dont work out I do have my eye on a pair of 6000's that I tried on-My only concern with them was the ball of my foot felt a little loose-would that close up some on baking them??

What really sucks is the LHS gave me the impression that they wont exchange the Graf's, especially after tweaking them. They made it sound like I would have to sell the Graf's on my own and then buy the Bauers from them

If I do have to sell the Grafs what is a good outlet for them??

[yipperzz 28]

I ;) did try the regular 703-they seemed too wide as the ball of my foot slid side to side-after the LHS tweaked these they do feel more like my old 3000's-I guess only skating will tell though-If these dont work out I do have my eye on a pair of 6000's that I tried on-My only concern with them was the ball of my foot felt a little loose-would that close up some on baking them??

What really sucks is the LHS gave me the impression that they wont exchange the Graf's, especially after tweaking them. They made it sound like I would have to sell the Graf's on my own and then buy the Bauers from them

If I do have to sell the Grafs what is a good outlet for them??

i'm sure you are right. after making those mods on your graf, i'm pretty sure they won't take it back. nobody else will be able to use them since they were modified for your feet. and they're not going to be able to sell them again since they aren't new and in new condition anymore. you can try selling them here or on ebay if you have to.

[hockeysew 0]

Well today I go to Stick & Puck time and guess what???

Yup- Feet still killing me-I am convinced now that I am not a Graf person at all. So when I'm done at the skate I call the LHS and talk to the owner about the fact that the Graf just are not the skate for me guess what his response is?? " You should have decided that before you bought them"

Kind of a bite in the A^% dont ya think?

The real pisser is they wont even give the slightest on the price of buying a different pair of skates from them.

Now I understand that business is business but really..............

Anyways enough of the Graf's

Just ordered a pair of 8000 Supremes from a shop in Minnisota

I'll make somebody a hell of a deal on a pair of 703's

[warrior37 0]

dont be mad at your shop, and just buying skates on the net is never a good idea, but if you have to wear them around your house for a day/night or two

[duch 0]

You gotta go with what feels right and works for you. Anyone can tell you a certain brand of skate is great or is garbage. Most of the top brands make some pretty decent skates but only you can tell if their right for you. Like it has been said before if it feels and fits right it's the right skate for you. Believe me, fit and comfort is everything when it comes to skates.

[hockeysew 0]

Not mad-Just didnt really appreciate the reply I got-I figured that I would at least get a little consideration for the hassle I've been through though...

I was very wary buying online-I had the shop E-mail pics of the skates first before I made the deal to make sure they were what she said-It was not through any of the big .com sellers

I will definatly wear them around the house and make sure we are good to go-I did try on a pair of very used 8000's that were on consignment at another shop and they felt just like my old 3000's.....

Thanks to all for your advice and wisedom

[sogaduch 0]

Well today I go to Stick & Puck time and guess what???

Yup- Feet still killing me-I am convinced now that I am not a Graf person at all. So when I'm done at the skate I call the LHS and talk to the owner about the fact that the Graf just are not the skate for me guess what his response is?? " You should have decided that before you bought them"

Kind of a bite in the A^% dont ya think?

The real pisser is they wont even give the slightest on the price of buying a different pair of skates from them.

Now I understand that business is business but really..............

Anyways enough of the Graf's

Just ordered a pair of 8000 Supremes from a shop in Minnisota

I'll make somebody a hell of a deal on a pair of 703's

no offense but one skate in a pair of skates doesnt justify you to say they dont fit right. when i get new skates my first 2 games they kill my feet even sometimes after that they kill my feet but i know its part of breaking them in. but yes it is your choice whether to by the grafs or bauers all the lhs does it give you options to what they feel fits your feet or what you ask for and for you too decide based upon the information given too you. but one skate man thats pretty weak

[donkey87 0]

How much time have you spent skating in the Grafs? Maybe you just haven't finished breaking in the skates. In my experience, Grafs take a little longer to break in than other skates. I would try to skate on the Grafs a couple more times, and also have my LHS punch out trouble spots.

[chilaxin12 2]

If you want to wear the grafs, spend a decent time to break them in, and also, put Custom + tuuks on them or LS2's I have Custom +'s on my 707's and they are great.

[hockeysew 0]

This is the 3rd pair of Graf's I have tried

NONE of them have felt right on my feet-It is kinda crazy when I bought my Bauers a few years I had some discomfort from new skates (mainly lace bite) but otherwise no major issues

Not so with the Graf's though-every pair I tried caused PAIN (much more than discomfort) and worse really hindered my skating ability (which I cant afford to do anyway :P )

I was told that I would have to stretch this and that and with the last pair some of the arch was cut away.........

Never had that issue with a pair of Bauers....I dunno just not convinced that the Graf's are the skate for ME

[chilaxin12 2]

If your really set on Grafs, try on a pair of 502's or 707's I've worn Bauer/Nike or Graf as long as i've played hockey, and other than the 707's having the thing so the ankles are loose, they both seem to fit pretty close to a bauer to me.

[warrior37 0]

its rumored that the 735 fits likes a bauer supreme and the 705 is a pretty versatile fitting skate

[sogaduch 0]

its rumored that the 735 fits likes a bauer supreme and the 705 is a pretty versatile fitting skate

the 705 is a boot thats more like a supreme the 735 fits same depth meaning same style as a 705/supreme but narrow

[reaper07 0]

my 7500 completely tore up my feet for 2 weeks

like i had huge chunks of skin just ripped away

took it like a man and now my 7500 are the most comfortable skates ive ever had so maybe just break them in ?